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Understanding Immigration and Refugees | A free kit for Teachers, Parents, Librarians and Caregivers
As our fifth Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday approaches on January 27, 2018, we are thrilled to have you as part of our amazing community of supporters! With enthusiasm, optimism and hope, we are preparing for MCBD 2017 and hope you will, again, join our celebration of diversity through children’s books.
Thank you for cultivating understanding, kindness, inclusion and exploration of this beautiful world in your classroom.
In 2017 year MCBD offered parents, teachers and librarians a FREE downloadable Classroom Kindness Kit. That kit is still available (view it here) and we have just completed the 2018 Classroom Empathy Kit with a special poster from award-winning author Juana Medina. This kit’s emphasis is on understanding and empathizing with immigrants and refugees and includes a robust booklist along with some excellent activity ideas. The new kit is also free to parents, educators and librarians and can be found HERE.
THANK YOU to author/illustrator Juana Medina for lending us her amazing talents as well!
FREE Classroom Empathy Kit | Understanding Immigration and Refugees
There is something extra special in this activity/classroom download; and activity that will not only help kids and adults alike understand what’s it’s like to be in the shoes of someone fleeing their homeland, but an activity that co-founder, Valarie Budayr, personally experienced first-hand.
It’s called the What’s in My Bag? :: What Refugees Bring When They Run for Their Lives
Backstory Behind the Backpack Activity: (An excerpt of a personal retelling of this very activity)
What’s in My Bag? What Refugees Bring When They Run for Their Lives
Hello Dear Teachers and Students,
I’m Valarie Budayr one of the co-founders of Multi-cultural Children’s Book Day. The Backpack exercise above has actually happened to me and my children. Several years ago we found ourselves in the middle of an invasion while visiting an un-named country on vacation. There were 19 members of our family in one apartment….
At one point we knew that if we got to a certain place we’d be able to be evacuated out of the situation. We were told that each one of us could bring a small suitcase. Then a short time later we were told we could bring one suitcase between all five of us. A short time later we were told we could each bring one school back pack. We had 15 minutes to pack and leave. ….
It posed the question that many refugees or immigrants face…”What Do We Take with Us?” (to get the full story and how you can bring this activity to your home, classroom or center, sign up below).
Understanding Immigration and Refugees | Sign up HERE
Our FREE Classroom Empathy Kit contains:
~ Read Your World- 19 Classroom Books to Assist in Understanding Immigration and Refugees for ages 4 -12
~ Empathy Activities including a very powerful “Backpack Activity” that really shines the light on material possessions and what is most important in life.
~ A true life experience retelling from co-founder Valarie Budayr that brings the Backpack Activitiy to life.
~ “Everyone is Welcome Here” Empathy Classroom Poster thanks to the talents of award-winning author/illustrator, Juana Medina
~The official Multicultural Children’s Book Day Poster for 2018 courtesy of Author/Illustrator, Aram Kim
~Helpful Resources, Articles and Talking Points for Teachers
~How Do You Write Your Name? Activity
~”Can you match these famous immigrants with their contributions?” Matching Game
Sign up HERE
To get your FREE Downloadable Classroom Empathy Kit
Thank you for cultivating understanding, kindness, inclusion and exploration of this beautiful world in your classroom, home, and gathering place.
- Connect with us on social media and share, share, share! Our official hashtag is #ReadYourWorld
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MulticulturalChildrensBookDay
– Twitter https://twitter.com/MCChildsBookDay
-Instagram https://www.instagram.com/readyourworldmcbd/
-Reminder: The hashtag for this event is #ReadYourWorld
